


One Step at a Time

by SunshineAndRoseWater



Series: The Road to Recovery [5]
Category: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance
Genre: M/M, Post-Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-01
Updated: 2016-02-01
Packaged: 2018-05-17 17:19:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5879233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunshineAndRoseWater/pseuds/SunshineAndRoseWater
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Injured people are delicate. Kissing them is not recommended.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Step at a Time

**Author's Note:**

> This wasn't supposed to be a series, but I guess these little stories want to be told. Chronologically, this is after Midnight Emergencies.  
> This is another little scene within The Road to Recovery universe. Unbeta'd.

A soft knock on the door interrupts Pete’s thoughts. Mikey is hovering in the doorframe, wrapped in a blanket and watching him with one eye. His face is healing nicely so they have started taking the bandages off more. Now, though, his injury is wrapped in preparation for sleep, his left eye covered.

“Hey, Mikey, what’s up? You need something?”

Mikey shakes his head. He glances from Pete to the room at large, taking it all in. Pete has five maps on the walls. One is a world map, two are maps of the United States, one is just this state, and the last is California. The US and local maps are the most heavily used, dotted with pins of varying colors. In the corner of the far wall is a key indicating what color pins mean what.

“What is all this?” Mikey asks.

_Oh, that’s right, you haven’t been down here yet_ , Pete realizes. This room is in the basement, stairs have been so difficult for Mikey to manage he hasn’t tried coming down here until now.

“It’s our map room,” Pete explains. “We use it to track movements.”

“Movements?”

Pete leads him over to the US map. He points to a spot that has a red pin and a brown pin. “See this? This means that this settlement doesn’t have anyone we know and also that they are willing to trade with us.” Pete points to a green pin in an undefined patch of map north of Niagara Falls. “This is where Patrick’s mom and stepdad are.”

“Canada?”

Pete nods. “In the height of the chaos they fled north. No one was watching the borders so they made it through without trouble, but now that the borders are being patrolled no one in allowed to cross. There are a lot of Americans trapped in Canada, and probably a few Canadians trapped in the US.”

“How do you know they’re there?” Mikey asks, reaching out to the green pin.

“They called us,” Pete explains. “The world ends and Tracfone’s still got you covered.”

Pete chuckles and Mikey does, too.

“What about…”

Pete leads Mikey over to the local map and waves his hand at all the red pins. Most are accompanied by brown or yellow pins, settlements willing to trade or not respectively.

Mikey pokes at a red pin on the other side of the state. “That’s far.”

Pete shrugs. “They had a radio. Andy and Matt haven’t gone that far yet. It would really help if you could remember his schedule; if he was on tour or at a comic con or at home, anything.”

Mikey shakes his head. “I don’t remember anything.”

“Nothing?” Pete asks.

“I remember being in… that place. I didn’t even know what had happened to the rest of the world.”

Pete sighs. “Okay, but if you remember, let me know.” He heads back to his desk. “Are you going to bed soon?”

“Are you?” Mikey asks.

“Not just yet,” Pete says.

“Can I stay here?”

“Uh, you can, I guess,” Pete says. “You’d be more comfortable in bed, though, that couch is kinda lumpy.”

“Do you not want me here?” Mikey’s voice is small.

Pete turns back to him. “Mikey, are you okay?”

Mikey looks away. “’M fine.”

“You sure?”

Mikey nods.

He certainly doesn’t look fine, he’s upset about something. Pete doesn’t pressure him, though. Instead he wraps him in a hug. He can feel some tension ease out of Mikey’s shoulders.

“Why don’t we both go to bed now?” Pete suggests. “C’mon.”

Mikey follows Pete upstairs, he barely needs any help with steps anymore, though it does take him a while to get up them. Pete waits for him patiently.

“Could I-” Mikey cuts himself off.

“What is it?” Pete asks.

Mikey shrugs.

“Well, when you figure out what you want I’ll be in my room.” Pete speaks softly.

Pete leaves Mikey by his room and heads to his own. He gets changed quickly and settles into bed. A few minutes later there’s a soft knock on his door and Mikey peeks in.

“Can I sleep here tonight?” Mikey asks in a rush.

Pete smiles. “Of course, c’mon.”

He pulls down the blanket on the empty side next to him. Mikey crawls on and settles on the very edge of the mattress. Pete scoffs.

“Are you kidding me? Get over here. If we’re going to share a bed, I want to cuddle.”

Mikey smiles, wide and genuine. Pete feels a thrill of victory as Mikey crawls over, so _this_ is what he was too afraid to ask for. Mikey rests his head on Pete’s chest and throws and arm over his waist. Pete wraps and arm around Mikey’s shoulders.

“See? That’s so much better.”

Mikey nods, rubbing his head against Pete’s chest.

Pete closes his eyes. He missed this, having someone to sleep next to. It’s especially nice to have Mikey, someone he’s so familiar with already.

“Pete?”

“Hm?” Pete cracks one eye open, Mikey is watching him quietly. “What’s up?”

Mikey leans forward and kisses him. It’s very chaste, just a press of lips. Certainly the tamest kiss they’ve ever shared, but enjoyable none the less. Pete reaches up to cup Mikey’s cheek and pull him in, but when he does his hand lands on Mikey’s bandage. Mikey pulls away with a gasp.

“Shit, shit, sorry! Are you okay? Sorry!” Pete turns on the bedside lamp. Mikey is touching the bandage gently. “Did I hurt you? Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Mikey says after a moment. “I think I’m okay. Don’t do that again.”

“I won’t.” To prove it, Pete deliberately cups his hand around the undamaged side of Mikey’s face to draw him in for a second kiss. This one is still pretty tame, Pete is being careful not to hurt Mikey again. Despite that, Mikey again pulls away.

“Ow, fuck,” he gasps. “Changed my mind, it’s starting to really- Ow!”

“Painkillers?” Pete asks.

“Please.”

Pete brings back a glass of water and two small tablets of pain medicine. Mikey takes them without looking, eye still squeezed shut against the pain. Pete doesn’t know what to do so he sits next to Mikey, rubbing his back until the meds take effect and the pain starts to subside. Mikey leans heavily on Pete, looking exhausted. Pete lays them both down, Mikey resting on Pete’s chest much as he had been before.

“You okay now?” Pete asks.

Mikey doesn’t respond. He’s already asleep.

Pete runs his hand through Mikey’s hair. “We can work on this. We have time.”

Pete closes his eyes and goes to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Did my work make you feel emotions? Come talk to me about it on my tumblr: [sunshinedontcare](http://sunshinedontcare.tumblr.com/)


End file.
